Wutai's Rising Sun
by Reichama
Summary: A year after the events of DoC, Yuffie begins to act differently and it has something to do with Wutai. And it seems everyone has gotten their happy ending except Yuffie and she's tired of it. She better act quickly before time runs out. Yuff/Vin/Shelke
1. So close, yet so far

Small fingers fiddled with the envelope in her hands. Her expression said it all, she was nervous and a hint of disappointment was clear on her face. The wind began to play with her hair as she sat at the edge of the mountain. She had been waiting the entire day and nothing, absolutely nothing.

"The sun's setting..." Yuffie said to herself softly as she watched the sun's rays were disappearing from Cosmo Canyon. A part of her knew that this was going to happen. Her, sitting and waiting for someone that clearly did not have the time for her. The usual routine was to wait until she got fed up with waiting and went off to find him. But this time, things were different.

The small ninja rose from her spot and ran her fingers through her hair as she continued to watch the sunset. She glanced at the small white envelope before putting it in her back pocket.

_I got tired of running after you_

She couldn't do it anymore, especially after Shelke came into the picture. She never fully liked the girl from the start but after everything was over, she got used to her but she still couldn't help but feel…-

"Ugh! What's up with me?" Yuffie shook her head as she lightly slapped her cheeks.

"Yuffie, you're still here?" A rough voice spoke from behind.

Smiling, she turned around and waved at the red companion, "Hey, Furball!"

Nanaki couldn't help but chuckle at the name but still shook his head. Yuffie never fully changed, which could be seen as a bad thing for some people but it was refreshing to him.

"Still waiting?" He asked as he sat in front of her.

"Nah! It's getting late and I want to stretch my legs out, maybe take on some nasty monsters!" Yuffie smirked as she punched the air energetically.

Nanaki watched the girl battle with the air and shook his head once more, "Well, you can rest here if you want."

…

No one was there to answer him back, only dirt flowing in the air that was left behind by the ninja running off. As the dirt cleared, there was a small white object on the ground. The red beast walked over to the object and picked it up with his mouth.

_Aren't ninjas suppose to more careful with their stuff…?_

_

* * *

_

Yuffie continued to run through the terrain, wondering where her feet would take her. If she went west she'd just meet the water that separates her from Wutai. North? That'd just take her to more forests and Nibelheim. East was probably her best bet, she'd be able to go towards Edge and visit the others. It'd be a long trip but she needed it, anywhere but home.

She stopped quickly as she saw a strange glow in the sky, just above where the Ancient Forest was located. "Well, that seems interesting…and it is on the way." She thought out loud. Reassuring herself, she touched her shuriken and nodded to herself as she ran to the general direction of the forest.

The forest was unscathed, everything had remained the same from the last time she visited this area with the others. The trees was tall, still growing freely. This area was full of lif and nature but the atmosphere was still ominous. Yuffie continued to search through the forest, "Something has to be here for something to be glowing!" She exclaimed as she pushed through some bushes.

"Maybe…a new type of materia!"

Yuffie couldn't contain herself and began to jump around, "Awesome new materia! Just for me!" She pumped her fist up in the air and started to search determinedly. Something to show off to the others when she makes to Edge, "It better not be something stupid like Bio or Sleep…" She muttered as she crawled around the forest ground.

* * *

The sound of metal hitting the ground echoed throughout the forest, "There may be some mako here, Shelke." A masculine voice stated while walking. Smaller footsteps followed behind him, the young girl was Shelke. Her face was pale and weakened, desperately needing mako to keep her body going. Now, she seemed like a normal girl than what she was before, which relieved Vincent. The girl reminded him of Lucrecia at times, it was nostalgic but recently the girl was beginning to develop her own personality.

"I hope it's nearby, I don't think I can walk anymore after this…" Shelke spoke softly as she followed behind him.

Rustling was heard nearby, the movements were quick and seemed to get closer to the both of them.

Shelke grabbed Vincent's cape once she heard the sound.

"What was that…?"

"Not sure, could be anything but just stay close."

The rustling started to be come closer, more distinct. Shelke was no longer able to fight and it was all up to Vincent if it was a monster. The cloaked man slowly took out his weapon and began to scan the area. If there was another sudden movement, he'll put it down quickly for their safety. Shelke needed the mako and he had no time to play games. His eyes scanned at each bush that was near him, searching for any movement.

Another rustle and this time, it was much closer. Shelke quickly pointed at one of the bushes, "It's over there!"

Nodding, Vincent rushed over to the area, aimed and squeezed the trigger without any hesitation.

"Vincent!" Shelke cried out as she heard the bullet being deflected.

Crimson eyes met brown eyes, former companions stared at each other. Vincent continued to stand there, watching Yuffie hold her weapon firmly.

"Yuffie…why are you-?" The older man jumped back as he dodged a slash from the ninja.

She was furious, she didn't know why exactly but that was the first emotion that coursed through her entire body. Next thing she knew, she had slashed her shuriken towards him. Right now, he was one of the few people she wanted to see right now, even though less than an hour ago she was waiting for him at Cosmo Canyon.

"Cosmo Canyon…." Yuffie muttered at Vincent.

He stared at her with a blank stare and quickly remembered. Vincent glanced at Shelke for a moment and then at Yuffie, "I didn't do it purposely, Yuffie. Shelke was becoming fatigued…you'd attack me for that?" He asked, dumbfounded by her actions.

The materia thief stared at the ground where she had struck. She held her head in pain as she fell on her knees, "V-Vinnie…" Yuffie muttered as she dropped her shuriken.

Vincent rushed over to Yuffie and knelt down in front of her, "What's the matter with you?" He asked while putting his gun away.

Shelke watched as she began to slowly walk over to the two of them, "Vincent. You sure it's alright to approach her?"

Vincent nodded as he stared at Yuffie, she was never like this. He began to stretch her hand out to her, "Yuffie?"

"There's a Mako Spring…it's a deep in but it's there." Yuffie began, "I came here to check this place out. I saw the spring and got excited, thinking maybe materia was formed or was forming…" She paused before she continued, "I don't remember what happened afterwards, maybe I touched it and I reacted to someone's emotions in the Lifestream."

A part of him couldn't help but feel something was off but for now, he had to make sure that Shelke received her dosage of Mako. Shelke put her hand out to stop Vincent from rising from his spot, "Stay with her, I'll be alright, I can find it from here."

At that comment, Yuffie forced herself up and grabbed her shuriken.

_I'm not a little girl, I don't need to be looked after. _

She nodded at Shelke, "Go ahead. There's no materia here anyway so no point of me being here!"

Crimson eyes glanced at the ninja for a brief moment before guiding Shelke to the Mako Spring within the Ancient Forest, "Just be careful, Shelke…" He said softly as he looked around the area as the girl walked over to the spring.

_What's with her…she's a horrible liar. _Vincent couldn't shake that fact out of his mind. He walked around the spring, hoping there was a clue as to what really occurred when Yuffie visited the spring. There was nothing but mako flowing throughout the area, no hints left for him.

"I'm ready, Vincent. We should head back and check on Yuffie." Shelke spoke softly at the caped man.

He thought for a moment and looked over at the girl, "Stay here for a moment, if anything seems suspicious…call out for me."

She didn't seem to understand why he wanted to be alone with Yuffie but she nodded. Maybe Yuffie would say what was wrong if it was only Vincent? Shelke watched Vincent walk off as she continued to ponder on what was wrong with Yuffie. The ninja was always so energetic and always spoke her mind. Regardless, there wasn't much to do but to wait and see what Vincent can get out of the girl.

* * *

"Alright, Yuffie…" Vincent said as he walked towards where Yuffie was last.

His eyes widened at the sound, it was silent but he was sure it was sound of crying. Vincent walked slowly towards the sound and the source was none other than Yuffie. But why? Was she hurt? Did a monster attack her when she first went to the spring? He shook his head, trying to shake his thoughts. He needed to remain calm, his mind needed to be clear to figure out what was wrong. He reached over for Yuffie's shoulder with his clawed hand and held his hand back at the sound of her breathing in.

"Mom…why?" Yuffie uttered as she held back her tears.

_Her mother? _Yuffie never talked about her mother, she rarely talked about her family at all. He stared at the back of her head, the person she connected with in the Lifestream…it was her mother.

"Why did you have to go?" She cried out as she covered her face.

Vincent touched her shoulder and he felt her jump, "It's just me…" He whispered softly as he turned her around to face him, putting both his hands on her shoulders.

She looked up at him and it did hurt to see her upset. Her eyes were red, her cheeks were covered with trails of tears and her breathing was inconsistent. Vincent glanced at her nose for a moment and held back a smirk, she looked _interesting_ with a stuffy red nose.

"Why didn't you tell me what really happened?"

"Because…you're mean!" Yuffie cried out as she hit his chest, "I waited for you to give you your invitation! I waited all day! And the one time I didn't want to see you, there you are! You avoid my calls! You find me annoying!" She continued to rant and hit him repeatedly, "Why do I bother!"

Yuffie's eyes widened as he began to pull her closer to him, her heart beginning to race. They never got this close to each other, did they? No, they never got close like this, right? She couldn't remember, her mind was racing and her face began to reddened.

A scream was heard throughout the forest.

"Shelke." Vincent pulled away quickly from Yuffie.

So close, yet so far…like always.

Yuffie shook her head, snapping out of her daze and nodded as reached for her own weapon.

"If they don't kill her first, I will…" The thief muttered under her breath.

"What was that?" The Ex-Turk asked while eyeing her.

"If you don't kill the monster first, I will!" Yuffie exclaimed nervously while running off to where the scream was coming from.

"Hurry up, Vinnie!"

**Author's Notes**: Sorry if it seemed too fast paced or anything, I wanted to try this idea out. There's more to come if people seem to be pleased by it. Thank you!


	2. True Strength

Shelke stumbled as she tried to back away from the monster in front of her. The beast growled at the girl's movements which caused her to freeze in her place. If only she had her sabers Shelke would be able to defend herself. The feeling of being helpless, frightened and alone, it was causing her to panic.

"Vincent!" She cried out, "Hurry!"

The large red dragon in front of her roared as the monster walked out of the shadows. The beast was large, too large for her to fight off by herself even if she could. Her eyes widened as the dragon's mouth began to open as a concentration of fire started to form outside of it's mouth. Shelke closed her eyes shut and guarding herself with her arms, maybe the dragon would leave her alone after her feeble attempt at protecting herself.

"Wah-hoo! Take that!" A familiar voice shouted out as the monster roared in anguish.

Shelke blinked as she looked through her fingers, Yuffie had come to save her but where was Vincent?

And at that question, she was greeted by a red cape that guarded most of her body and an arm around her waist.

"You're alright?" Vincent asked calmly, there seemed to be no hint of distress or anxiety in his voice which soothed her nerves. He glanced over at the girl as he felt her nod and continued his focus on the ninja who was fighting the dragon on her own. Yuffie was always quick on her feet and she always surprised him in battle. When you first meet Yuffie, you think she's just a kid who just likes to gloat but she really did know what she was doing. The truth was, Yuffie was now a wo-

"Shouldn't you help her?" Shelke asked softly as she looked up at Vincent, cutting his thoughts.

Yuffie flung her shuriken at the ruby beast and shouted, "I don't need help! I'm winning! Plus, Vinnie's too old to keep up with me!" She laughed at her own remark as she caught her weapon that returned back to her.

"Lets end this quickly! I'm hungry and there's no materia here!" The ninja twirled her shuriken as a red aura began to emit from her weapon, "Come on out, Leviathan!"

A great light emerged from her shuriken and it began to form a great figure which was soon to be revealed to be Wutai's most prized treasure, it's guardian Leviathan. Compared to the red dragon that stood before the regal beast, it was meek and certainly smaller. Surely the opposing beast knew it would surely lose but the ninja wouldn't let that happen. She had her reasons to be frustrated and she needed to unleash her fury.

Of course, Vincent had already witnessed Leviathan before. He remembered the day that Yuffie decided to return back to Wutai and prove to everyone that she was no longer a little girl, that she could take care of herself . Everyone that blocked her path, she fought against them. People that she knew, the people that she cared for the most, the people of Wutai.

"I've never seen something like this before, Vincent."

Shelke's statement snapped him back to reality and he looked down at Shelke, she was truly amazed that Yuffie could summon such a creature.

"It's her true strength…" He muttered to himself.

She heard it and she couldn't help but feel surprised. It was rare that Vincent would compliment people so easily.

_He's changed_…Shelke thought to herself, ever since Omega Weapon.

"Tsunami!" Yuffie cried out her order to Leviathan, who quickly obeyed with it's strong water attack. The dragon, in it's last attempt to defeat the girl, lunged towards Yuffie and dug it's nails deep into her shoulder.

There was no pain,. She was in too much shock and everything happened so quickly. Soon enough Leviathan's attack had finished the foe and the others were rushing to her side. Yuffie tried to wave at them but there was an extreme amount of pressure that kept her from lifting her right arm. Glancing over, she saw the wound that the monster left on her. The amount of blood that seeped from her shoulder to the floor was tremendous and occurring quickly. Normally, she would react but there was too much on her mind. Too much shock, her mother, Vincent, Shelke, Wutai….

And then there was just silence.

"Yuffie!" Vincent yelled out roughly as he caught her.

"Is she going to be alright?"

"She's going to be fine. Yuffie, stay with me!"

Yuffie groaned, "Vincent…"

"What is it?"

"…will you"

There was a pause which caused both members that were conscious to worry.

"Yuffie!" Both of them cried out, snapping the girl back to reality or whatever world she was currently in.

"Will you….go to my party?" The thief muttered.

Vincent couldn't help but chuckle at the childish response and nodded. As she felt his nod, she smiled weakly.

"…you better dance with…me…"

Shelke's eyes widened as she saw the girl go limp in Vincent's arms.

"Yuffie! Wake up!" She cried out.

Vincent stared at the girl in his arms intently. Yuffie was not the type to give up easily, there was no way. She was too stubborn and the group, everyone, they couldn't bear to lose someone else. That pain and that regret that everyone went through, especially Cloud, he couldn't deal with it. He shook Yuffie lightly, "Come on…"

There, that's all he needed. Her chest rose and fell slightly and he exhaled in relief, "We have to get her somewhere safe…"

Shelke nodded, "Cosmo Canyon's the closest. Your friend is there, right?"

The older man nodded as he stood up straight with Yuffie unconscious in his arms, "Yeah…Nanaki." He said while glancing over his shoulder, "We need to hurry before nightfall, it'll make things much more difficult if we take too long."

The brunette grabbed the shuriken on the ground and lifted it up, "This isn't as light as I thought it would be…" Shelke muttered as she laughed, "Yuffie's full of surprises…" The statement only got a chuckle out of Vincent as he began to walk. She watched him walk off and felt strange, a feeling she wasn't fully aware of what it was. Vincent was focused and so intent on saving those he cared about but there always seemed to be something different between Vincent and Yuffie. That relationship, just thinking about it made her feel awkward.

"Shelke, follow close behind me." Vincent called out.

Shaking her head free from those strange thoughts, she nodded as she followed after Vincent. As much as she wanted to shake those feelings, a recurring thought disturbed her. A part of her… didn't want Yuffie to wake up.

_Maybe, she'll sleep forever._

Thinking in such a way wasn't like her but a small part of her knew it was what she desired strangely. No, Yuffie was a good person. She wanted her to get better…right?

Author's Note: I thought I'd be able to update sooner but this semester in college is serious business! Thank you for those who have this story watched and I hope this chapter is alright.


	3. Lifeless & Helpless

Author's Note: Hello guys, I'm just starting my author's note here. The first part will be told in first person, Yuffie's point of view and the rest will be done like usual. I also made this late at night so if there are mistakes, very sorry. Enjoy. Please review, thanks. :3

"_Mom!"_

I remember how much I called out for her. Mama was everything I wanted to be when I was younger. She was gentle and looked so delicate but her eyes proved she was anything but weak. Dad would always teach me how to be tough, not to let other push me around but she taught me something different.

"_You can be strong but you don't have to push people away. The people of Wutai are your family, your friends."_

"_But Papa said that people would hurt my head…"_

_Mama laughed as she patted my head, her hand was so soft and warm. She always smelled like fresh lilies but I cherished her warmth the most. Craving for her attention, I always snuck into her arms and looked up at her before she spoke._

"_Papa just wants to protect you. You're his princess, his most precious flower." She said softly as she swayed lightly while I was in her arms. "Be strong, think with a clear mind but love with an open heart, Yuffie." My mother looked down at me, "I'm sure you'll be a great leader one day."_

_I nodded as I snuggled against her stomach which received a giggle from mother._

"_A flower can be just as beautiful as it is strong. You're our white rose…"_

_

* * *

_

It had been two days already and she was still unconscious. Vincent and Shelke practically ran to Cosmo Canyon and even then she had lost so much blood. The wound was so deep and Nanaki wasn't sure if Yuffie would be able to use her right arm ever again.

_Why didn't I see the monster lunge for her?_

Vincent kept mentally beating himself up but his physical expression remained emotionless. He didn't want the others to know that he was not calm, especially Shelke. Ever since the incident, she would wander around and couldn't even look at Yuffie. It was pretty certain that what occurred was bothering the girl.

"Maybe I should tell the others…" He muttered to himself as he took out his phone. Truth was, he felt strange. Even though Yuffie and him didn't meet up very often, every time they did or whenever she chased after him…all those missing days were made up. Vincent shook his head and put his phone away. He was known to push others away for the own safety but when everyone was there for him when he battled Omega, he wanted to change.

_Let go of the past and live. _

How could he thought after this? It was like the cycle was restarting all over again. Someone special to him was going to lose their life or injured and he was to blame. He could have saved Yuffie but for some reason, he didn't. It all happened too fast and the feeling of her blood, her warmth, just pouring out of her small body…he never wanted to experience that again.

"Shelke went off with the villagers to gather some supplies…"

Vincent nodded at the voice and sat up straight as the red beast walked over to him. Nanaki and Vincent were close but Nanaki was also close to Yuffie which made the atmosphere around them different than usual. Or was it Vincent that created the strange atmosphere? That was usually the case.

"Her wound is healing but it may leave a scar…" Nanaki spoke softly as he stared at the rest of Cosmos Canyon in front of them. "We're using all the potions we can to make her as comfortable as possible.."

The man cracked his neck and sighed, "I think a scar is the least of our worries, Nanaki…"

Nanaki nodded and remained silent for a few minutes.

"Yuffie…wouldn't want you to blame yourself. Even though she may joke around a lot, I know she wouldn't want to see you like this. If anything, I think she'd be happy to know that you are actually worried about her but not to this extent."

"Nanaki." Vincent began, "Yuffie has saved me before and she never let me down…and when something like this happens, even when it is an innocent bystander, you can't help but feel like absolute-"

"Shit." The beast finished off for him. "And the worst part of all this is that we can't really do anything. All we can do is wait."

Vincent looked over at Nanaki and nodded, "She'll make it through, she's too stubborn to die."

"Oh, before I forget…" Nanaki spoke as he walked over to a hut and went inside for a moment. When returning, there was now an envelope in his mouth and walked over to Vincent. Vincent looked at him strangely as he took the envelope from his mouth, "What's this?"

"Yuffie wanted to give it to you. That's why she was waiting here for you."

The cloaked man nodded and couldn't help but feel a tinge of more guilt. If only if he had showed up, maybe she wouldn't have wandered off. He had to stop blaming himself. If Yuffie or the others saw him like this, they'd never let him live it down. Shaking off the feeling, he began to open the envelope and pulled out it's contents. In his hand was now a letter, the paper was of an ivory color with writing that was in Yuffie's usual handwriting.

_Hey Vinnie!_

_Guess what? I'll be 20 soon, no more teen years for me. I'mma be a woman! And you guys can't treat me like a little kid anymore, especially you! Anyway, you're invited to my birthday extravaganza! It'll be at Wutai of course. The directions and time are in the back! You have to dress nice since it's a super special occasion! You better come and you can bring a guest. Of course, unless you wanna be my date! Just kidding! You better save a dance for me though. _

_See ya!_

_Yuffie_

He couldn't help but read the last line repeatedly. It reminded him of what she had last said to him before she passed out. She invited him and asked for a dance. Of course in the invitation it sounds more like a joke but when she was laying in his arms, it sounded like a plea. Vincent exhaled as he folded the invitation back into the envelope and put it inside his cloak.

"Just how long do you think it's going to take, Nanaki?"

"I don't know…we just have to wait and believe in her."

* * *

Dinner was usually the worst part of the day. Shelke always tried to make conversation but everyone was just so silent because of Yuffie. Everyone around her explained how Yuffie would always come to the village and play with the children. Everyone would claim how much life Yuffie had and to see someone with so much energy just be almost lifeless on a bed disturbed them all. Vincent and Nanaki were the most distraught out of everyone, especially Vincent. He tried to hide it from her but it was so obvious.

Shelke sighed as she watched everyone walk off to go to bed, the lack of energy really was upsetting. As she walked to the hut that Nanaki had given her, she watched as a village girl fall down the stairs and dropped the bowl in her hands. Shelke quickly ran over to the girl and helped her up.

"Are you alright?"

"Oh, I'm alright but I dropped Miss. Yuffie's medication for tonight…" The village girl whispered softly, obviously worried about getting in to trouble.

Shelke grabbed the bowl and looked back at the girl, "Where's the rest of the medication?"

The girl looked back at her, "That was the last of it for today. I have to tell the othe-"

Grabbing the girl's arm, Shelke shook her head at her and showed her the bowl. There was still a bit of medication left.

"Should that be enough at least?"

As the village girl nodded, Shelke smiled at her, "I'll give it to Yuffie and you can go rest. You seem really exhausted and nervous, go to bed and I'll take care of her."

For a moment the girl looked at Shelke but remembering that she was a friend of Vincent's made her more at ease, "All right, thank you very much! Just rub it on her wound and make sure to use clean bandages. She'll get an infection if it's not done correctly."

Shelke nodded as the girl walked off to her hut and looked down at the bowl. She smiled weakly as she walked up the stairs towards the hut where Yuffie was resting.

_Everyone's working so hard to save her…_

Soon enough, she made it to the room and walked inside. The ninja that had saved her was now lying in bed with no signs of life except for the rise and fall of her chest. Shelke walked closer to her as she put the bowl on a table next to her. She grabbed a nearby cloth and dipped it in the liquid.

"Everyone is worried about you, you know."

There was no answer, only silence.

"Nanaki and the villagers are working so hard to get your proper medication, I'm helping them too." She said to herself as she took out the cloth and drained it, putting it on the edge of the bowl.

Shelke stared at the cloth were Yuffie's wound was located and breathed in. Slowly, she took off the bloodied bandages and discarded them. The wound was now closed by stitches but it was quite apparent the wound was serious. Around the area of the wound was purple and there was puss seeping out of the stitches. Shelke couldn't bear the sight but she was able to muster up the courage to clean the area, sanitizing it for the new bandages.

Letting out a sigh of relief as she began to wrap Yuffie's shoulder but she stopped for a moment.

"You know, Vincent's been really stressed and upset because of you too…" Shelke muttered lowly. "He's really blaming himself for but you wouldn't blame him for what happened to you, right?" She looked at Yuffie, hoping for a response that would never come.

"Why would you do something like this…don't you know that it's hurting him? He was getting so much better and opening up to me about everything." Shelke clenched the bandages in her arm.

"And then, you came along and tried to sneak into his heart again." She glared at Yuffie, "If Vincent gets worse because of this or goes back to his old ways, I'll never forgive you." Shelke tightened the bandages roughly and stood up.

She stared at the ninja and glared, "A part of me wants you to get up because I think you're not a bad person and you're his friend but another part of me…I see you as an obstacle. I hate this feeling but I just want you gone! You're hurting him and you're hurting my relationship with him. Either go back home or…just disappear!"

Shelke's eyes widen at what she just said to the unconscious girl and covered her mouth. She never felt like this before and it bothered her but it relieved a weight on her heart.

Did she really want Yuffie to disappear?


End file.
